Academic Programs

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)

The finance curriculum is designed to provide an under-standing of the problems and methods of financial operations in both nonfinancial and financial businesses. Courses for the student majoring in finance are designed to develop the student's capacity for analysis, and, accordingly, place emphasis on the microanalysis of financial management. The management of fund flows is a service function associated with virtually every organization. Thus, careers in this field are available in diverse areas ranging from the small entrepreneurial firm to the large corporate organization as well as in the securities business, commercial and investment banking, and in other financial intermediaries.

• Corporation Finance

The objective of this area of concentration is to provide the student with an understanding of the financial problems confronting the manager in the corporate organization. Issues addressed include corporate asset selection and valuation, corporate restructuring, working capital management, and the optimal financing mix. An emphasis is placed on decision-making from the view of the corporate manager who seeks to maximize shareholder wealth in both domestic and global contexts.

• Financial Management of Financial Institutions

The basic goal of this area of concentration is to develop a familiarity with the problems and constraints found in the financial management of financial institutions such as those in the banking industry. Examples include those involved in credit lending, asset-liability management and capital adequacy decisions. The program of study seeks to first build a base in the nature of financial markets. The emphasis is then shifted to decisions regarding managerial problem areas.

• Investments

The subject material of this discipline is divided into two areas. The first area covers techniques in financial analysis, assessing the domestic and global environment, valuation of equity and fixed income products, derivatives and foreign exchange. The second area introduces concepts of portfolio theory, the practices of institutional money managers, and specific portfolio evaluation techniques. The suggested course sequence builds from a basic knowledge of valuation and the functioning of capital markets and advances to the specialized treatment of the above problems. Cases, textual material, readings, and experience with making investment portfolio decisions comprise the pedagogy.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Business with a major in Finance include completion of the BBA Core Sequence for the Robinson College of Business.

Required Major Courses: Fi 4000 (six semester hours), Fi 4020, and three additional 4000-level finance courses. See the recommended sequence below.

Recommended Sequence: The Department of Finance encourages all students pursuing a major in finance to take Fi 4000 and Fi 4020 early in their program of study. Fi 4000 is a prerequisite to all 4000-level finance courses except Fi 4020. Students may take Fi 4000 and Fi 4020 in any order or concurrently.

The following sets of electives in the major are suggested for those students who wish to develop particular expertise in various fields of finance. These are simply suggestions.

Corporate: Fi 4300, 4320, 4200 or 4040.
Financial Institutions: Fi 4400, 4420, 4200 or 4040 or 4300.
Investments: Fi 4200, 4240, 4040 or 4300.

Other Required Course: Acct 4210 must be taken in place of one course in the Robinson College of Business electives portion of the program.

Other elective option: One three-semester-hour elective can be chosen from the 4000-level finance courses or from the other 3000/4000-level courses taught by the Robinson College of Business.

Suggested electives: RE 4150 and RE 4160 are suggested as RCB electives.

For further information regarding the finance curriculum, please contact the appropriate faculty member:

Professor Alfred Mettler - 1208 RCB - 404.413.7327
   (Corporate Finance)
Professor Peter Eisemann - 1210 RCB - 404.413.7329
   (Financial Management of  Financial Institutions)